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The Jets' Defense Is Pounded This Time

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y., Nov. 7 - It is a situation about which defensive linemen dream. Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis sprinted off the line unblocked in the third quarter of Sunday's game against Buffalo.

In his sights was Drew Bledsoe, the Bills' slow-footed, 12-year veteran quarterback, whom the Jets sacked four times when the teams played last month at Giants Stadium.

What happened next, though, still had Ellis shaking his head in the locker room after the game: Bledsoe spun out of what looked to be a sure sack by Ellis and scrambled upfield for a 17-yard gain.

"That was my fault; I take full responsibility for that," Ellis said. "If I would have made that, it would have been a different ballgame, I think."

They did so by employing a strategy where they used their tight end and running backs as extra blockers on passing plays and aimed their running game directly at the Jets' undersized defensive end John Abraham.

"They ran the ball everywhere," said Abraham, who entered the game as the N.F.L.'s sack leader with eight and a half. "They ran left, they ran right, call it what you want. They ran at me and they ran away from me. Whatever they did was working and we just gave up a lot of yards."

Abraham said he had faced many of the same blocking techniques against other teams this season and refused to use it as excuse.

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"They chipped, they left the tight end in, they did some play action," he said. "They did everything they could to get me out of the game. They were just the better team today. I can't say just because they shut me down we should have won the game. They came out with the right attitude."

Another effective strategy for the Bills was gaining significant yardage on first down, which limited obvious passing situations where the Jets could turn their pass rushers loose.

"They did some good things in the passing game, especially on first down," Coach Herman Edwards said. "They threw the ball. You can't rush the quarterback on first down a lot, so that's what they did."

When they were not connecting on first-down throws, the Bills ran effectively with Willis McGahee.

"You know when you can stop the run, you can make a team one dimensional and you can get after them," defensive tackle Jason Ferguson said. "It's just hard when they get the run going."

Linebacker Jonathan Vilma was one of several defensive players who said that the defense's intensity might not have been as high as in previous games because of the short week of preparation following last Monday night's 41-14 victory over Miami.

"We still tried to pick the intensity back up; it just didn't happen," Vilma said. "It was just one of those days. It happens, we have to get over it."